After months of misery for commuters, Marlow Bridge finally brought happiness to a young couple on New Year’s Eve – as it played host to a romantic marriage proposal.

Aimee Litchfield, 21, was stunned when her boyfriend, Jordan Mann, 22, popped the question on December 31 - exactly four years since they met at a New Year’s party. 

He got down on one knee and surprised her with an engagement ring as hundreds of Marlovians who had taken to the streets to ring in the New Year cheered and chanted around them.

The couple, who recently moved to Marlow from High Wycombe, had gone to the bridge to watch the spectacular fireworks display put on by the Macdonald Compleat Angler hotel on the banks of the river.

Aimee said: “We were out with our family to watch the fireworks from the bridge. Then Jordan got down on one knee and proposed and of course I said yes.

“The fireworks were a bit late coming on and I did worry that they might not be going ahead, but just as the cork popped on the Champagne, the fireworks started. It was a really magical moment.

“It was a dream. I am so happy.”

Family and friends were on hand to help the couple celebrate their special moment and capture it on camera.

Macdonald Compleat Angler general manager, Gavin Webster, said: “We would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to Aimee and Jordan.

“This is an incredibly special moment for them both and it is wonderful that Macdonald Compleat Angler’s fireworks display was able to make the occasion even more magical.

“Myself and the rest of the team would like to wish them a long and happy life together and we hope they will come and visit us in the future.”

The romantic proposal helped the bridge end the year on a happy note following a two month closure which caused chaos for commuters, business owners and residents alike. 

The bridge, which has a three-tonne weight limit, was shut for more than two months for extensive inspection and stress-testing after a 37-tonne lorry tried to cross it on September 24.